Tijuana Sewage Exposes Thousands In US To Toxic Air
Thousands of people in California are being sickened due to exposure to raw sewage that foams up in the Tijuana River before the river empties into the Pacific Ocean, according to The Associated Press (AP).
Steve Egger, a 72-year-old resident of Southern California, told The AP the exposure is “awful,” noting the foam emits toxic fumes that cloud the air. “Most nights we breathe in a horrible stench,” Egger said. Egger and his wife’s home has a hospital-grade filtration system that cycles air every 15 minutes. Despite this measure, the couple frequently experiences headaches, waking up congested, and coughing up phlegm, according to Egger.
While doctors have recommended that he move, Egger says Southern California is his “home.”
“This is where I’ve lived all my life, with my family, my parents, my grandparents,” he said. “This is home.”
The Tijuana River has carried 10 billion gallons of raw sewage and industrial waste across the U.S. border from Mexico since January 2026, according to International Water and Boundary Commission (IWBC) data cited by The AP. More than 100 billion gallons of raw sewage, industrial chemicals, and trash have poured into the Tijuana River since 2018, the IWBC said. (Read more from “Tijuana Sewage Exposes Thousands In US To Toxic Air” HERE)
